MadameNoire Featured Video

Drew Sidora in Season 13 RHOA photo has a controlling husband in Ralph

Source: Bravo / Getty

Drew Sidora is already making a splash on the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and so is her husband, Ralph Pittman. Being only three episodes into Season 13, fans are wondering if Pittman is this season’s Marc Daly — the less than popular estranged husband of Kenya Moore.

From discussing who’s really the subject of Pastor Jeanette’s “Bridle Your Tongue” sermon, to moving into their new home and pursuing marriage counseling, all of Drew and Ralph’s conversations seem tense. She’s in listening mode and he’s always in the driver’s seat.

In Sunday night’s episode, the couple had several contentious moments. In her first confessional, Drew admitted, “Things between Ralph and I are definitely not great.” Referencing the fight the couple had over his three-day disappearance, which occurred in the previous episode, she added, “We decided just to table it… we don’t really talk about it, nor do we have the tools to really resolve it.”

In the following scene, Ralph got really defensive with Drew’s mom, Pastor Jeanette, over a sermon she announced she was doing that he inspired called “Bridle Your Tongue.” Drew’s mother noted that while she tried not to take sides between her daughter and her son-in-law, Ralph, wanted a person to “agree” with him “all the time.”

When Drew finally interjected, she told her husband it was important to let “somebody speak what’s on their heart” and to be aware “that you’re not perfect.” In a dismissive response, Ralph replied, “I think this is a sermon that all of us can use.”

In a later scene, sparks flew between the married couple again as they packed in preparation of moving into their new home. Ralph was really condescending towards Drew in a conversation regarding how the process of obtaining their new home would occur. To Drew’s disapproval, her husband kept using “I statements” when referring to the new house they were purchasing together. She kept encouraging him to use the words “we” and “our.”

Towards the end of the conversation, amidst Drew’s excitement over the new house, she said, “So we are getting the house, it’s our house. I can say it’s our house?” Then, Ralph said, “I’m not going to say anything, that’s just something you don’t do. That’s why I say, you just focus on the packing up. I’ll take care of the business.”

In her confessional, the Housewives star talked about the ways in which Ralph always needed to be in charge.

“I’m definitely not a woman that wanted to be kept. I wanted to have a partner. But Ralph can be controlling, you know,” she said. “He wants to be the knight in shining armor. I definitely am grateful and I see his value and sometimes I just feel like he doesn’t see mine.”

This is where I had the biggest issue with Ralph. Throughout this whole scene, him continuously saying Drew should be focused on the packing portion of the moving out process while he handled all the business and signing for the new home was more than “controlling,” as Drew softly put it. If the two of them were purchasing the home together, then not only is it natural for Drew to be interested in what is happening on the business end, but it’s also necessary. She should have as much knowledge as he does regarding where their money is going, what they’re signing on to, and how this new home — which is an asset — can serve the both of them moving forward.

When the two pulled up to their new house to drop off some boxes, Drew brought up that she reached out to a marriage counselor — and Ralph wasn’t exactly happy about it. He said, “So you already gave her like, a bias, so that she’s already trying to prejudge me. ‘Let me tell you what I need you to fix on Ralph,'” he added, mimicking how he thought his wife approached the counselor.

Although he said he agreed to the both of them doing the counseling, all his time on screen just left me feeling exhausted by his ego.

Within three episodes, Ralph has already seemingly established himself as a “never wrong,” paranoid husband. The “alpha male” vibes he thinks he is projecting are similar to what we saw of co-star Kenya’s husband last season. As we got to learn more about Marc, he appeared very dominant and dismissive of Kenya’s feelings, just as Ralph seems to be with Drew’s. Both men seem to be critical of their wives’ faults, but rarely their own, and sport a “my way or the highway” mentality. The difference between the two is, Ralph seems more entrenched in outdated gender roles for the marriage and household and stuck on old-world values. Wanting Drew to stay out of the business aspect of their new home purchase is overbearing to say the least and sounds like something out of the ’50s.

Ralph’s actions are sending off major red flags to viewers. Twitter was lit up with comments on how his behavior towards his wife came across condescending and dismissive in last night’s episode. As their marriage continues to play out on-screen, hopefully he will prove us wrong as a misunderstood individual instead of the pushy, sneaky partner he seems to be.

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN